With an increase in the rate of fraudulent visa applications for the United Kingdom, the UK Border Agency (UKBA) on Tuesday appealed to all the concerned applicants to be on the alert and not get misled by unscrupulous agents.

Issuing a press statement, the Regional Office of the UKBA warned of a stern action against agents cheating people under false promises of a British visa. It advised aspiring applicants to disregard agents offering forged documents or a visa guarantee.

"We welcome genuine visitors, students and workers to the UK and are committed to ensuring the quality and availability of visa services for genuine applicants. We will, however, not tolerate abuse of the UK visa system and we have a zero tolerance for fraud," said Thomas Greig, regional director of the Agency.

Greig, in the statement, said that the UKBA has an effective system to detect fraud and is working with various international partners, including Nepali and Indian authorities. Common instances of fraud include the issuance of false bank statements, forged education language certificates. Discovery of any fraudulent activity will lead to a refusal of the visa and a 10-year ban on travelling to the UK, as well as possible action from Nepali authorities, said the statement.

source: The Kathmandu Post,16 Oct 2012